To You, My Love :: The Captivated Issue

A favorite moment in The Captivated Issue is when we asked you, our readers, to share your love letters with us. Sharing heartfelt words meant for someone - a husband, a child, a grandparent - is so special and vulnerable, we were honored to publish these words of love. Jenny Sanders of Graceline Art, stylist Kae Yelchaninov and photographer Tara Lynn assembled beautiful vignettes of love letters to support these stories, making it one of our favorite features. Enjoy a love letter below from Katie Lentz to her daughter Olivia and read more in The Captivated Issue.

My dearest Olivia,

Let’s talk about your middle name for a second: Grace. I once heard grace defined as “receiving something you don’t deserve.”You, my love, are grace personified. God looked upon me, with all my inequities, knowing full well that I will fail as your mommy time and time again, yet He gave me you anyways.

Then there’s the expression “grace under pressure.” Little one I hope and pray your life is full of pressures. For it’s these moments that will define you.

As a lady, this world will tell you that you should be “graceful”. Please know that this will be some people’s way of demanding that you to sit quietly and be neat. Darling girl, be loud. Be messy. Be you.

I love your little personality already. Some of the very same things that excite me, excite you: the sound of your daddy’s voice, sweet tea, and cinnamon rolls ;)

We wait, sometimes patiently, other times not so much, for you to “grace us with your presence.”